10 comments:

Yeah... i agree with the above comment . i have been reading through ur blog and found it amazing to the amount of knowledge u share and brainstorming u do . would be good if i could talk to you and i am a 20 year old salon owner from india .

I have owned a salon in Northern California for the last 9 years. We are a combination rental/commission salon. We are busy, have great people and offer benefits to our stylists. However, we do not make money from the salon. My partner and I still work behind the chair to make our living. Cons: Lots of work and headaches without making any money. No ability to remodel or move to a better location (can't afford the rent). It's frustrating when you are holding your breath to make payroll. Pros: You get to set the tone and control your environment. I have worked in high end salons that take their employees for granted and are not especially welcoming to all clients. We wanted to have a welcoming environment with no back stabbing and drama. We have that and it is a pleasure to work with our staff. I go back and forth on whether it is worth continuing to take the responsibility and worry or just rent a chair. I love reading your blog and appreciate other owners experience. I am going to do the penny percentage at our next meeting.

Thanks for your input! You made some great points. I hope you and your team can improve profitability and give you some breathing room. It sounds like you have a good culture going for you. They probably have no idea that you are not profitable and will work with you to stabilize things. Let me know how the penny meeting goes!

I have a question: Do you think I should attend beauty school to open my own shop, and spend 15k and wait 3 years (experience) even if my state dont require me to or should I hire a salon manager, at least at the beginning, and then later on, go to beauty school.

Running a business and being a hairdresser, while related, are two different things. If you want to be a hairdresser you should attend beauty school. If you want to be a business owner I recommend you get some experience in the industry before you buy or open your own salon. Without being licensed you could get a front desk position and use that time to learn the business. If you really want to do both (be a stylist behind the chair in a salon you own) you may want to work part-time in a salon while you attend beauty school.

I'm concerned that you may bite off more than you can chew if you jump into salon ownership. My advice is based on the assumption that you do not have much business experience and have limited resources to start a business.

I may feel differently if you have a great deal of business experience in other industries already and have ample capital to open and sustain a business through it's very long ramp up to profitability.

I actually have experience in marketing and sales; and used to be a manager in a skin care company for 4 years. My husband is in finance and will help me with the numbers, and the capital to start the business. However I was worried about not knowing how to "blow dry" or "color", because I wanted my stylist to respect me. Does that make sense?

About Me

I have owned a salon and spa since 2004. Three years ago we expanded to a second location. Our team now includes 16 stylists, 3 massage therapists, 1 esthetician and 5 salon coordinators. Running a business of any kind has its challenges, but I love being a business owner, sharing information with, and learning from other business owners.